Album Review: Cattle Decapitation - 'The Harvest Floor'

What an ordeal it is summarizing a release such as “The Harvest Floor”.  Trying to express just how heavy this music is in written form has been an almost impossible task.  Every aspect reeks of brutality and horror while expressing the an obvious discontent for the current state of society (which becomes clear with the vego undertones) .

Considering just how full the market is now with so called “heavy as hell” releases, it was a pleasant surprise (well not so much a pleasant surprise as it was a kick in the balls) to find something that comes through with the goods.  It’s worth buying just to inspect the album art which shows people being led into what appears to be a slaughterhouse, which is a pleasant change considering the album artwork on album prior on “Humanure” was actually banned from a number of cd stores.  This gives you a rough indication of what to expect from The Harvest Floor; relentless music from beginning to end while being bree and bullshit free.   

While being super heavy and technical is all well and good, it is easy for bands to begin to sound like mush and each song is difficult to distinguish from its predecessor.  Luckily this is not this case with Cattle Decapitation as each track unfolds its un-natural delights upon listening. “A Body Farm” is a great example of showing how dark and moody the keyboard effect can have without being over the top and cheesy. Not for the faint hearted; “Tooth Enamel and Concrete” begins with what sounds like a man choking on his own blood. The eerie solo is as fantastic as it is dirty and has the ability to make you feel filthy from head to toe. 
 
The drumming is powerful and precise with blast beats and to the point double kick making for quite an intimidating force. The impressive drum work is backed up with the guttural screams of front man Travis Ryan who has an impressive vocal range.  This combination can be seen working to full effect on the track “The Product Alive” as well as “In Axestasy” showing just how versatile all members of the group are in creating chaotic and extreme music.  

Considering the amount of apparent grind and Deathcore releases appearing left right and centre its fantastic to get to grips with a band that have been doing it for over a decade.  The end product shows of what comes with age and will no doubt be remembered come album of the year.

1. The Gardeners of Eden  
2. A Body Farm
3. We Are Horrible People
4. Tooth Enamel and Concrete.
5. The Ripe Beneath the Rind
6. The Product Alive
7. In Axetasy
8. Into the Public Bath 
9. The Harvest Floor
10. Regret and the Grave